Cheltenham November Meeting and Navan Racing Festival 2026: Racecards and Betting Markets

The National Hunt season is in full swing, and a major weekend of jumps action is set for Friday 13th November to Sunday 15th November. The November Meeting at Cheltenham will feature three days of high-quality jumps action, with the Super Saturday card headlined by the lucrative Gold Cup Handicap Chase.

Navan’s two-day Navan Racing Festival runs alongside it, with the Grade Two Lismullen Hurdle and Fortria Chase on Saturday and the Troytown Chase on Sunday.

Cheltenham and Navan Racing Weekend: 13-15 November at a Glance

Cheltenham November Meeting 2026: Dates, Course and What to Expect

The jumps season heats up this weekend, as the November meeting at Cheltenham is one of the early-season highlights in the calendar. It typically serves as a major stepping stone for Festival contenders, with horses such as Sprinter Sacre, Altior, and Ballyandy all winning at the meeting before going on to achieve success in March.

Three days of high-quality racing are set for Cheltenham, beginning on Countryside Day on Friday and continuing to Super Saturday and Carnival Sunday.

The feature of the meeting is the Gold Cup Handicap Chase, run over an extended distance of two miles and four.

Cheltenham November Meeting Racecards: The Gold Cup Handicap Chase and Saturday’s Races

Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (1:10 PM)

One Horse Town won this Grade Two juvenile hurdle 12 months ago, and this year’s field again covers an extended two miles. James Owen has two entries, Charles Darnay and Magnetude.

Charles Darnay won on his hurdles debut at Wetherby at the end of October, and was rated 83 on the Flat. The Irish challenge includes Admiral Will Brown and Joseph O’Brien’s Atomic City, who won on his hurdles debut at Cork last month.

Grade 2 Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase (1:45 PM)

The Arkle Trial could bring together two of Britain’s highest-rated novice chasers. Kabral Du Mathan won by 19 lengths on his chase debut at Perth last month. He already has Cheltenham form, having won the Grade Two Relkeel Hurdle by five lengths before finishing fourth in the Grade One Stayers’ Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson may send Old Park Star to Cheltenham for his chase debut this weekend. The six-year-old won all four of his starts over hurdles last season, finishing with victory in the Grade One Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Henry De Bromhead’s Workahead is among the Irish-trained entries and returns from a 159-day break. He races from a lower official rating than Kabral Du Mathan and Old Park Star.

Gold Cup Handicap Chase (2:20 PM)

The feature on Super Saturday is the Gold Cup Handicap Chase over a distance of two and a half miles. It is the first major handicap chase of the British jumps season, with a purse of £160,000 up for grabs.

Paul Nicholls has won two of the last three editions, with Stage Star in 2023 and Il Ridoto in 2024, and his Quebecois has already run this season. Dan Skelton won last year and could run two this time: Festival winner Madara and Blueking d’Oroux.

Ben Pauling’s Meetmebythesea won the Grade Two Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Festival in March. O’Moore Park won at Cheltenham’s October meeting, while July Flower won at the November Meeting 12 months ago.

Cheltenham November Meeting Racecards: Friday and Sunday Highlights

Super Saturday features the most competitive afternoon of racing at Cheltenham, but Friday and Sunday also have star attractions.

Cheltenham November Meeting: Friday Schedule

Cheltenham Friday Highlight: Grade 2 Shloer Chase (Friday, 2:20 PM)

The feature on Friday is run over two miles, as Jonbon bids to win the Grade 2 Shloer Chase for the third time in four years. Nicky Henderson’s stable star has won over £1.5 million in prize money, although most of his career defeats have come at Cheltenham.

He was second in last season’s renewal of this race, and that was followed by a runner-up finish in the Grade One Ryanair. But he has never finished outside of the first two in 27 starts under rules.

Cheltenham November Meeting: Sunday Schedule

Cheltenham Sunday Highlight: Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (Sunday, 3:10 PM)

The feature on Sunday’s Cheltenham card is an ever-competitive Greatwood Handicap Hurdle, run over an extended two miles. Idaho Sun was hugely progressive in novice company last season, winning the Grade One Formby at Aintree before being ruled out of the Festival due to a setback.

Let It Rain and Harry Lowes both return following layoffs for the Dan Skelton team. Pioneer Pete, trained by Jonjo & A J O’Neill, arrives on a run of three straight handicap wins.

Navan Racing Festival 2026: Fortria Chase, Lismullen Hurdle and Troytown Chase

A high-quality two days of National Hunt action is also set for Navan across Saturday and Sunday, headlined by the Fortria Chase on Saturday and the Troytown Chase on Sunday.

Navan Racing Festival: Saturday Schedule

Grade Two Lismullen Hurdle (2:07 PM)

Saturday’s card at Navan includes the 2026 edition of the Grade Two Lismullen Hurdle, run over two miles and four. Last season’s Stayers’ Hurdle champion Home By The Lee headlines the entries. The 11-year-old is a previous course-and-distance winner, but could be vulnerable on seasonal reappearance.

Paul Nolan’s seven-year-old Feet Of A Dancer is also entered, as is Slade Steel, who returns to hurdles after winning the Grade Two Hurdle at Fairyhouse in April.

Grade Two Fortria Chase (2:43 PM)

The featured race over the bigger obstacles on Saturday will cover two miles, with the Grade Two Fortria Chase due off at 2:43 PM. Majborough has been an incredibly frustrating horse to follow, as jumping issues saw him struggle behind stablemate Il Etait Temps in the Champion Chase at the Festival in March.

Willie Mullins has also not won this race since 2014. Gordon Elliott has won the last two editions, with his Found A Fifty chasing a record-equalling third victory in the race.

Navan Racing Festival: Sunday Schedule

Grade 3 Troytown Handicap Chase (3:00 PM)

Sunday’s feature at Navan is the Grade 3 Troytown Handicap Chase. Gordon Elliott holds an excellent record in the race, winning seven editions since 2014. The Enabler is a lightly raced contender over fences, winning once from six starts.

Elliott also saddles The Wallpark, who is incredibly well-handicapped on his hurdle form, but is yet to open his account over fences. Sportinthepark has already run this season, while Letos makes his first start for trainer Noel Meade.

Cheltenham and Navan Betting Markets: Handicaps, Each-Way and Place Terms

A wide selection of horse racing betting options will be available for the action at Cheltenham and Navan this weekend, with TonyBet offering win, each-way, and place betting markets:

• Win: Bet on a horse to win a race, and the returns are awarded if the selection is correct.
• Each-Way: The bet includes a win and place selection, with wagers paid out at 1/5 odds (2 places) and 1/4 odds (3 places). Bigger fields may also see extra places offered at TonyBet.
• Place Betting: You can bet on a horse to place. You can wager on a selection to finish in the first three or four places, but the odds will be shorter.

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